Drill Sargeant (with a tiny bit of ontopic talk...)

[cubfanbudwoman]

No: HPFGUIDX 94697

Siriusly Snapey Susan:
> > I will make one last feeble attempt to bring out a difference 
> > that I  think is KEY.  HRH & their class of Hogwarts students 
> > begin w/ Snape  at age **11** and the war is **NOT** yet on.  
> > They are boarding  school students, not military academy students 
> > or enlistees.  No one  has **told** them that their lives are in 
> > danger and they damn well  better listen & learn this stuff 
> > because their *lives* depend on it.  
> > When a person goes into the military, he or she is 1) older and 
> > 2)  *knows* his/her life depends upon listening & learning every 
> > detail.
> > 
> > Doesn't anybody else out there think this is an important 
> > difference  in the learning process?  That one must 
> > *understand* the mission in  order for the drill sergeant routine 
> > to be most effective?  <<

Pippin:
> We don't know that Snape is as tough on everybody else as he is 
> on Harry and Neville. In fact, Harry tells Hagrid that Snape has 
> something against him personally and Hagrid gets evasive. We 
> think, later, that it's the old grudge. But suppose it's more than 
> that? At least some of the DE's know about the prophecy--and 
> who does Snape single out for his drill sergeant routine? Harry 
> and Neville, the Prophecy twins. Snape wouldn't know that 
> Neville has been eliminated, because Dumbledore hasn't told 
> anyone what the full prophecy says.
> 
> So, as Dumbledore's agent and  an ex-DE, Snape knows these 
> things:
> (1)  It's him or Voldemort --you don't retire from the DE's
> (2) Voldemort will be vanquished by "the one" -- Harry Potter or 
> Neville Longbottom
> (3) Voldemort knows about (2)
> (4) Dumbledore doesn't want Harry to know about (2)
> (5) Dumbledore believes that Voldemort could return at any 
> moment.
> 
> Harry and Neville don't get to opt out of the war, because even if 
> they don't want to fight Voldemort, he's going to  murder 
> them.  Snape is doing his level best to prepare them for this 
> war, because if they fail, he *dies.* And he can't explain all of
> this, because Dumbledore won't let him.
> 
> That doesn't mean Snape'd be nice to Harry  otherwise. The 
> grudge is real enough. But it's not the only reason for Snape's 
> behavior.

Siriusly Snapey Susan again:
I want to get to your points very soon, Pippin, but I think I should 
say first off that I don't think I'm doing a very good job, yet 
again :-\ , of expressing my thoughts.  In this "branch" of the 
thread, I actually wasn't trying to make a case that Snape is using 
drill sergeant methods with all of his students so much as saying 
that *if* he were, that I don't think it's a good practice in this 
setting--with this age student, and without student knowledge & 
understanding of a war setting.

There.  Now on to what you've said here.  I think I *do* understand 
what you're saying, Pippin, particularly about why Snape may see this 
as war because he knows about the prophecy... and why he's not 
allowed to explain all of that to Harry & Neville.  I guess if all of 
what you're describing *is* the true situation, then I'd say we're 
back to my other argument:  that, if it's really THAT important for 
Snape to prepare these two particular students for the inevitable 
battle(s) with Voldy, he's GOT to find a way to reach them.  Being 
cruel, sarcastic & nasty doesn't seem to be cutting it w/ the two 
students who most need to learn, so why doesn't he STOP the drill 
sergeant routine w/ them and find a way to help them learn?  SURELY 
he can *see* that it's not working with them?  

Hmmmm.  Maybe *that's* part of what I'm struggling with!  If Snape is 
as brilliant as I think he is, why isn't he able to see that his 
methods AREN'T helping Neville & Harry to learn & to perform under 
pressure?  If he cares about The Order and defeating Voldy--as I 
believe he does--then why isn't he re-evaluating his technique with 
Harry & Neville?

Thanks for asking things in a way which helped me re-focus that 
question, Pippin.  Now maybe somebody can help me figure out the 
possible answers.

Siriusly Snapey Susan